MANKATO, Minn. — Heath Farwell was in denial Friday night. He didn’t want to believe his right knee was seriously injured.

“I kept telling the trainer and coach (Brad) Childress it’s just a sprain,” Farwell said. “I was just trying to be positive, ‘I’ll be all right. I’ll be all right.’ But deep down, I knew it was a lot more serious than that. I’ve never been carted off the field. It’s just tough. It’s a bad feeling. It’s not how you want to leave the field.”

Farwell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the exhibition opener against Seattle when another player rolled onto his leg as he came off a block. It’s a season-ending injury, leaving his future with the team beyond this year in question.

Now the Vikings are forced to move forward without their best special-teams player and will try to fill the void internally. Childress said Sunday he doesn’t anticipate looking outside the organization for help.

“It’s unfortunate for (Farwell),” Childress said. “I know the other guys don’t feel fortunate, but it’s an opportunity. We’ll see who it is that steps in and takes the lead.”

Vinny Ciurciu was brought in to be a force on special teams for the Vikings in 2007. His 15 tackles last season tied for the second-most special-teams tackles of any Viking, behind Farwell’s 32. But this isn’t the way Ciurciu wanted to get a chance at increased role.

“I was actually excited to play with him this year because I felt healthy, I was playing good and I felt me and Heath would have something special going on on our special teams,” Ciurciu said. “But I’m looking to step up my game and so are the younger guys.”

Farwell’s injury might open a spot on the 53-man roster for one of the team’s younger linebackers, such as Rufus Alexander, Erin Henderson or J. Leman, behind starters Chad Greenway, E.J. Henderson and Ben Leber. Veteran Derrick Pope is the backup middle linebacker. Ciurciu hopes to compete for playing time as well aside from special teams.

“That’s one of my main goals is to compete for that fourth linebacker spot,” Ciurciu said. “So far, it’s going well. It’s up to the coaches — and our play. We’ve got three more (exhibition) games and we’ll see after that.”

The Vikings play at Baltimore on Saturday. They can only hope the next few games don’t produce more serious injuries. In addition to Farwell, the team lost reserve defensive end Jayme Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending ruptured ACL in his left knee on his first snap against Seattle.

It’s the third year in a row the Vikings have lost a linebacker to a torn ACL in the first exhibition game. They lost Greenway in 2006 and Alexander in 2007.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” Alexander said of replacing Farwell. “He was the leading tackler on special teams. He was a leader. He was a smart guy on special teams that made a lot of plays. He also helped a lot of the younger guys out here understand the defense and stuff. His laughter and everything will be missed, but he’s going to be around the locker room.”

Farwell said he hasn’t scheduled surgery yet, but it likely will be sometime in the next couple of weeks after the swelling subsides. He will have the procedure done in the Twin Cities and plans to rehabilitate at Winter Park so he can be around the team.

“I want to be a part of the team as much as I can,” Farwell said. “I think that’s best. We’ve got a lot of hopes for this season. Although I’d like to be on the field helping out, it’s the closest I can get to it at least.”

Farwell, who’s expected to be placed on injured reserve, signed a $1.475 million tender this offseason as a restricted free agent. He said he came into training camp in the best shape of his life, faster and stronger than he ever had been.

It remains to be seen whether he will return to the Vikings next year or play for a different team. He said he hopes to be back in Mankato when training camp opens next summer.

“I like it here in Minnesota,” Farwell said. “I’d like to be, but you never know.”

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